Deloitte
Deloitte, like Ahrend, puts good employership into practice. After the Covid outbreak in the Netherlands, Deloitte saw the alteration of its office environment as its top priority. When it became clear that homeworking would be necessary, they looked at how 7000 employees might be given an ergonomic home workspace in double-quick time. Harry Vlaardingerbroek, Chief Workplace Officer, tells how Deloitte tackled the issue with Ahrend's help.
Future of Working
"Before Covid, homeworking wasn't official policy at Deloitte, and it was purely incidental. Our employees were usually to be found in our offices or on the clients' premises. Coronavirus showed us that homeworking on focus tasks and for online meetings actually works really well. This led us to compile a wide-ranging survey with HR on our work methods post-coronavirus. 'Working from home' takes pride of place in our new 'Future of Work Programme'."
Home workspace? Our responsibility!
"We have had a formal homeworking policy since November 2020. Employees who work out of the office, on the clients' premises, automatically get a laptop stand, headset and separate keyboard from us in accordance with Health and Safety requirements. Now that we have been working more frequently from home and for longer periods, during and after Covid, it is our responsibility as an employer to provide a workspace at the home address. In the beginning, it was possible to borrow a computer screen and an ergonomic chair, but this was only a temporary measure."
‘It is our responsibility as an employer to provide a workspace at the home address.’
Chief Workplace Officer Deloitte
Standard and custom sets
"In close consultation with Ahrend, we have put together a standard set of ergonomic homeworking furniture. It was selected by Deloitte, and it meets H&S requirements. Employees order the furniture directly from a webshop in MyDeloitte, with a budget of €600 per person. Ahrend delivers the furniture to the home, which actually saves us a lot of work. Employees are of course free to choose other dimensions and colour schemes, even a different chair or desk. They simply fund the difference themselves."
Comfort guaranteed
"A personal budget also cuts down on administration. We don't have to record where a given piece of furniture is, or assess its condition; it actually belongs to the employee. Also, some employees had already purchased an office chair, and were entitled to a reimbursement. We have also had to carry out randomised checks to test the ergonomic suitability of the furniture. By compiling a set with Ahrend, we know our people are sitting comfortably." - Harry Vlaardingerbroek, Chief Workplace Officer Deloitte
